The African Journal of Primary Health & Family Medicine welcomes submissions that encourage scholarly exchange between family medicine and primary health care researchers and practitioners across Africa and the developing world, whilst providing a context

About the author(s)

Doreen K.M. M'Rithaa, Information Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology South Africa and Department of
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Stellenbosch
University, South Africa Sue Fawcus, Mowbray Maternity Hospital South Africa and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cape Town, South Africa Mikko Korpela, Information Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa and School of Computing, University of Eastern Finland, Finland Retha De la Harpe, Information Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

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Abstract

Background: Daily activities within a health care organisation are mediated by information communication processes (ICP) involving multiple health care professionals at different levels of care. Effective perinatal management requires critical information to be accurately communicated. If there is a breakdown in this communication patient safety is at risk for various reasons such as: inadequate critical information, misconception of information and uninformed decisions being made. The purpose of this study was to interpret the complexities around ICP in order to contribute to the effective management of the intrapartum period.

Methods: Multi method, multiple case study approach was used to understand the ICP during the management of the intrapartum period. During the study, the expected ICP, the actual ICP, the challenges involved and the desired ICP were analysed. Twenty-four in-depth interviews with skilled birth attendants (SBAs) employing observer-as-participant roles, field notes, and document review methods were utilised to gather the data. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data using Atlas TI software.

Conclusion: This study showed that what was expected was not what was actually happening. The requirements of the policies and protocols need to be effectively implemented to improve practice building these into current biomedical guidelines.